The present invention relates to a surgical equipment and more particularly to a surgical equipment for surgical operation.
In the surgical operations in hospital, in recent years, the conventional surgical steel knife has gradually been replaced by a laser surgical knife using laser beam, an electrosurgical knife using high frequency induction heating, and ultrasonic surgical knife by ultrasonic vibration.
In FIG. 1 illustrating a scheme of a laser surgical equipment, a laser beam is generated by a laser oscillator 1, for example, a carbon dioxide gas laser, and is guided to a proper location by a waveguide 2 such as a multi-joint reflection mirror type manipulator or an optical fiber. The laser beam then is collected and emitted by a hand piece 3 provided at the distal end of the waveguide. During the course of the surgical operation, an operator operates the hand piece 3, actuates a foot switch 5 to oscillate the laser oscillator by a signal through the switch, and emits the laser beam at a predetermined diseased part 4 of a patient 8 laid on an operation table 7. In this way, the operator performs operations such as cutting and coagulation of blood.
Generally, the output of the laser system for the laser surgical knife is approximately several tens W. In using the laser surgical knife, the American safety standard ANSI (American National Standard Institute) Z 136.1, for example, requires the most strict control. In the case of the carbon dioxide laser for the laser surgical knife, a maximum tolerable dosage for the eyes is 0.72 mW. When a patient receives the laser beam from the laser surgical equipment on the skin or eyes, damages suffered would be great.
From the safety standpoint, the (prior) laser surgical knife has the following problems.
One of the problems arises when an operator erroneously pushes a foot switch 5 while not grabbing the hand piece 3. The operator, during his operating work, does not always take or hold the hand piece 3. When he does not take it, it is postured at a given position by a counter balance 6, as shown in FIG. 2. When the hand piece 3 is put on the operation table 7, as shown in FIG. 3, the laser beam could be emitted horizontally. When the hand piece 3 is put as shown in FIGS. 2 or 3, if the foot switch 5 is erroneously pushed, the laser beam may radiate any part other than the diseased part, thereby damaging the patient or the operator.
An arrangement of a prior control circuit for controlling an oscillation of the laser beam in the laser surgical knife is shown in FIG. 4. In the figure, S1 designates a foot switch such as a pedal switch operated when an operator depresses it by the foot; S2 a manually operable switch mounted to the hand piece such as a push switch, a slide volume, a rotary switch; S3 a switch for switching between the switches S1 and S2; 9 a laser controller for controlling a laser oscillator. When the switch S3 selects the switch S2 for the hand piece, there is no danger of an erroneous emission of laser beam. Specifically, when the hand piece is not located on the waveguide or when the operator does not handle the hand piece, the switch S2 is not operated and the laser beam is never radiated. When the switch S3 selects the switch S1, the laser beam is radiated in response to the actuation of the foot switch S1, without regard to the state of the hand piece. During the operation, the operator devotes his attention to his operation work, so that he often fails to check the position of the switch S3. Accordingly, there is a great possibility that he may erroneously depress the foot switch with his foot, while the switch S3 is turned to the S1 position.
As described above, with the known laser surgical knife there is always a high potentiality that the laser beam may be accidently radiated when the laser surgical knife is not operated by the operator. Such an erroneous emission of the laser beam is extremely dangerous to the persons in the operating room.
The importance of preventing the erroneous emission of radiation power for the surgical operations is correspondingly applied for other surgical equipments such as the electrosurgical equipment and the ultrasonic surgical equipment.
The hand piece for the surgical equipment requires in its handling a high skill, since it is directly operated by the operator for effecting the operations.